Ironmen play complete game, beat Slippery Rock 9-4

LORAIN — If the Lorain County Ironmen work their way back into the Prospect League playoff race, they may remember Saturday’s 9-4 win over Slippery Rock as the game where everything finally came together.Lorain County (10-13) got a quality start from Zachary LaRocca, who was making his first of the season, and the offense broke open the game in the seventh inning, sending 12 men to plate while scoring six runs.The Ironmen scored a run in the second, on an Anthony Nemer RBI single, and an inning later Scott Splett scored on a passed ball by Sliders catcher Mike Andries for a 2-0 lead.In the fifth inning Lorain County showed a brief glimpse of the problems that have been plaguing it all season as two walks and two errors led to two Slippery Rock runs and a tied game.Lorain County got the lead back in the bottom half of the inning when Splett led off by reaching on an error and scored on Tyler Bires’ single. Bires, a Lorain native who plays his at Ashland University, went 3-for-4 with a run scored.“The coaches have been preaching situational hitting all season. Putting the ball in playing, making something happen and manufacturing runs,” Bires said. “We’ve put in a lot of work in batting practice and tonight we finally got 1-9 in the batting order hitting.”Lorain County got at least one hit from eight batters in the starting lineup. Nate Langhals, the only Ironman without a hit, still contributed by reaching base on a walk and a hit-by-pitch and scoring a pair of runs.“We were patient and everyone took a good approach at the plate tonight,” Ironmen manager Joe Rhomberg said. “This is one of the first games this season where I feel like we got about all of the runs we could. We bunted well, didn’t leave too many men on base and had good situational hitting.”Splett got the seventh inning started by legging out an infield single. Zach Ratcliff followed with a single, and both advanced on Derek Sprout’s sacrifice bunt. Seven of the next eight reached base on three hit and four walks. Splett had two in the inning.“You have to come to the ballpark prepared every day. You can’t take innings off or come out flat because, as we’ve found out this year, you’ll find yourself down four or five runs really quick,” Bires said. “We’re coming to the ballfield ready to play each day. This is our job. We could be out working a summer job like every other college kid, so we have to take advantage of every day we’re here.”Contact Todd Shapiro at 329-7135or ctsports@chroniclet.com.Ironmen 9, Sliders 4Slippery Rock Lorain County ab r h bi ab r h biKinsella 4 0 1 3 Smith 4 1 2 1Hurlimann 3 0 1 0 Salem 5 0 2 1Calhoun 3 0 2 0 Splett 4 3 2 2Wilson 4 0 1 0 Ratcliff 2 0 1 0Andries 4 0 0 0 Sprout 4 0 1 0McCollach 2 0 0 0 Biers 4 1 3 1Ghidotti 2 2 0 0 Carrion 5 1 1 1Clark 3 2 1 0 Langhals 3 2 0 0Crimi 3 0 1 1 Nemer 2 1 1 2Klock 2 0 0 0Zawadzki 2 0 0 0Totals 32 4 7 4 Totals 33 9 13 8Slippery Rock 000 020 002 — 4 7 2Lorain County 011 010 60x — 9 13 42B –Hurlimann, Splett, Bieres, Nemer. 3B – Smith. SB – Ghidotta, Clark. HBP – Ghidotta (By Hall), Langhals (By Garza). SAC – Nemer, Sprout,. LOB – Slippery Rock 7, Lorain County 11. IP R ER H BB SOSlippery RockGarza 3 2 2 4 4 1Eikleberry (L, 0-1) 31⁄3 2 1 5 0 1Clark 1⁄3 5 5 1 3 0Ghidotti 11⁄3 0 0 3 1 0Lorain CountyLaRocca (W, 1-0) 6 2 1 5 3 3Hall (S, 1) 3 2 0 2 1 2PB – Andries 2. T – 2:43. A — 178